Erecting and launching apparatus



April 21, 1959 R. s. BERGNER ETAL 2,832,795

ERECTING AND LAUNCHING APPARATUS Filed March 15, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

N GEORGE c. HAUENTEIN INVENTQRS ATTORNE April 21, 1959 R. s. BERGN'ER ET AL 2,332,795

ERECTING AND LAUNCHING APPARATUS Filed March 15, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet s FIG. 3

ROBERT S- BERGNER GEORGE C. HAUENSTEIN INVENTQRS E By 11 um ATTORNEY United States Patent ERECTING AND LAUNCHIN G APPARATUS Robert S. Bergner, Schenectady, and George C. Hauenstein, Troy, N.Y., assignors to Alco Products, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application March 15, 1956, Serial No. 571,707

2 Claims. (Cl. 89-1.7)

This invention relates to erecting and launching apparatus for guided missiles.

Under present practice, so far as applicant knows, guided missiles are erected into launching position more or less permanently. That is to say, the missile is erected to a vertical position on its launching base, oriented for launching, and permitted to remain in that position ready for launching. No provision is made to store the missile away from its launching position and then to transport it quickly to such position for erection. Furthermore, once the missile is erected into such permanent position, no provision is made for lowering it for transfer to another launching position or for lowering it to horizontal position adjacent its launching position so that it can be camouflaged.

The main object of this invention is to provide a transportable structure adapted to support a guided missile during transportation, said structure including a combination of elements capable of rapidly erecting the missile to launching position when desired and of functioning as a launching apparatus when such erection is completed.

A further object is to provide a mobile unit capable of transporting a guided missile from place to place, the chassis of such unit being adapted to form part of app-aratus to erect the missile into launching position.

Another object is to provide apparatus upon which a missile may be stored and transported from place to place, said apparatus being adapted to erect such missile for launching in a minimum of time and to lower the missile again in the event it is desired either to change its launching position or to facilitate camouflaging.

Another object is to provide a vehicle a part of which is adapted to serve as launching apparatus for a guided missile, said vehicle being capable of transporting the missile and launching apparatus from place to place, said apparatus including a boom hinged on the vehicle dhassis capable of erecting the missile to vertical position for orientation and of returning the missile to horizontal position for storage and/or transport within a minimum of time.

In the drawings, the structure of the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1 having a missile stored thereon ready for transport.

Fig. 2, also diagrammatic, the invented structure is shown with the missile, illustrated in fragment, moved into erect position ready for launching, the boom being illustrated in fragment and returned to down position.

In Fig. 3, also diagrammatic, the invented structure is illustrated in plan on a larger scale than the scale of Fig. 1, the boom being illustrated in fragment in down position and the missile being illustrated in cross section in erect position.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawing, semi-trailer or chassis has a supporting wheel and axle assembly 11 at its rear and a fifth wheel 12 at its front for connection with a tractor (not shown). Extending laterally from the chassis are two pairs of outriggers 13 and 14,

the Outriggers 13 being disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal center line of the chassis and the Outriggers 14 being disposed angularly to said center line and in a forward direction. These outriggers may be pivoted back parallel to the vehicle body and secured thereto for transporting. Connected to the ends of the outriggers and disposed therebeneath are leveling jacks 15. Adjacent the wheel and axle assembly and forward thereof is another leveling jack 15. These jacks 15 are provided with large anchor pads to support the chassis whenever the tractor is withdrawn and the wheels of the chassis are removed. It is contemplated that the missile and the apparatus of the invention will be transportable from place to place and that the chassis will become the bed element of the invented apparatus when the vehicle has been moved to desired location. It is contemplated that the wheels of the vehicle may be removed so that the chassis will then rest upon the jacks.

Hinged to the chassis 10 is the launching base 16 of the missile. In the illustrative embodiment, this base 16 has a circular body 17 and a rearwardly extending clevis 18 (see Fig. 3) adapted to engage the lower end of the erecting boom 19. A pair of spaced lugs 20 secured to the chassis (or made integral therewith) are provided with holes 21 arranged opposite each other for the reception of a hinge pin 22. Hinge pin 22 extends through said holes 21, through holes 23 in and adjacent the free ends of the clevis 18, and through an aligned hole 24 in the lower end portion of the boom 19 to hold the launching base, the erecting boom, and the chassis in assembled position. The launching base 16 and the boom 19 are thus hinged to the chassis and may be pivoted in relation to the chassis independently of one another. Formed in the lower end of boom 19 above and parallel to transverse hole 24 is a transverse aperture 25. Launching base 16 has a transverse aperture 26 between its hinge holes 23 and its body 17, said aperture being parallel to aperture 25 when the boom is in down position as shown in Fig. 2. When the boom is in such down position on the chassis and the missile is disposed in cradles 27, a shear pin 28 is inserted through the clevis and boom apertures 26 and 25 respectively. The boom and launching base may then be pivoted together so that the boom will assume its erect position (see Fig. 2) to locate the missile in its erect position. The shear pin may then be withdrawn and the boom lowered to horizontal position, leaving the base down and the missile erect. The elevation of the boom and missile and the lowering thereof may be effected by a hydraulic mechanism 29, which forms no part of the invention.

Missile stabilizing arms 30 and support frame 31 are secured to the body 17 of the launching base 16 and extend upwardly to support the missile. Tie down lugs 32 are provided on the base and mate with lugs 33 on the chassis so that locking pins 34 may be inserted therethrough to secure the base to the chassis.

A missile azimuth adjusting device 35 is provided for rotating the circular body 17 of the base in order to obtain the proper azimuth orientation of the missile prior to launching.

Normally, when the missile is stored in the invented apparatus away from the firing site, as shown in Fig. 1, the boom is maintained in down or horizontal position on the chassis and the base member is connected thereto by pin 28. The missile is arranged on the boom cradles 27 abutting the base support frame 31. Stabilizing arms 30 engage the lower end of the missile. When it is desired to locate the missile at a launching site ready for firing, the chassis is coupled to a tractor and transported to the site. There the tractor is uncoupled and the wheels 11 of the chassis are removed. The chassis is v Y v \3 then resting directly on jacks 15 and levelling can be effected. Hydraulic mechanism 29 thereupon rotates the boom and cradled missile to erect position and of course also, rotates .the "connected. base r member. to open atingzpos iiqn an the,chas,sis. The baseis ,sequredto the chassis and the boom lowered, as previously describ d- ."lf ther after; it should be desire t lower .the m ss l -t idownpositiqn.in order: t relo a e it tats-anoth r firing site or to return it to storage or .to camouflage it, h b m i rot edto er c po i n i bring. l' I d.1eS i t engageme withrth miss in .28. is inserted .to connect the boom and base, the locking.pi.n...34 isremov to l ase heasejfrn urementftn heph si and the hydraulic m h nism lowe he qom, a e, and missile.

Although there h eenl h wnmanual means .to unlo k. he base'.1 fr m. ebtiom.1 .v udio. lock thebl s in Z r i ion av/mean ,ef pin rongh h g .3.2 and 33g, mechanical remote .control meansrcanhe used to,- efl.ect such operation.

"While there has been hereinbefore described an. approved embodiment of this inVer ti n it will be ,understood that manyand various changes and modifications inform, arrangement of parts and,details,of,,constrnction thereof may be made without departingfrom the spirit of the invention,. andw that. all such changesand modifications as fall within thev scope of thewaippendedrclaims are contemplated as apart of this invention.

"What we claim is:

'1. An erector'launcher for guidedmissiles comprising a chassis; means to establish thechassis in level position on'the ground; a boom pivoted on the chassis, said boom being pivotable between horizontal and verticalpositirm on the chassis; means on the boom tosupport a missile Whenthegboom is horizontally disposed;..a b,a se ,-n1emb.erto support a missile when the'latteLisdi PQSedAnerect 4 t position on the chassis, said member being pivoted to the chassis; a releasable connection between the boom and base member, said boom and base member being pivotable together when connected; and power means on the chassis operatively connected to the boom to pivot into erect position the boom and connected base and a missile supported on the boom.

2. ierector launcher for guided missiles comprising a chassis; a boom pivoted to the chassis and rotatable between horizontal positionto vertical position; means on the chassis iorward of the pivot to support the boom when the latter is disposed in horizontal position; means on the. boom tot-support amissile when thelatter is disposed in horizontal position; a member to verse as a base for a missile, said member being pivoted to the chassis for rotation between horizontal and vertical position, said member and the boom being pivoted about the same axis; a releasable connection between the boom and base member, said'boom and base member'being pivob able together when connected; and power means on the chassis operatively connected to the boom to rotate the boom and connected base to erect position to dispose a missileinfiring position supported by the; base, said boom being adapted tobe returned by the power means to horizontal position "for supportbythesupport means onthe chassis upon releaselof its connection to' the" base member.

0rdnance, July-August 1954, The-New {Look in 'Missiles, pp. 45948. 

